Prescription Forgery

New Brunswick NJ Prescription Forgery Defense Lawyers

One of the most rapidly growing areas of drug crime dealt with by our defense lawyers is obtaining prescription legend drugs through fraud and forgery of prescription documents. Although these charges are often referred to interchangeably, they are actually separate offenses which someone can face at the Middlesex County Superior Court, New Brunswick NJ. A forgery charge arises out of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1 and involves different proofs than a complaint based on N.J.S.A. 2C:35-13. The key ingredient of a forgery case is the act of modifying or altering a document as opposed to the objective or scheme sought to be perpetrated. Irrespective, you should know that forgery is always a third degree crime or a fourth degree crime, both of which are felony offenses under New Jersey law which can only be adjudicated in New Brunswick. So whether you are initially charged in Plainsboro, Spotswood, Woodbridge, Carteret or another Middlesex County municipality, your case will end up being sent to the county courthouse located just across the street from our New Brunswick Office. The defense team of our firm, The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall includes Jason Seidman, Esq., a former supervisor in the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, and other ex-prosecutors with over a century of criminal law experience. To speak to Mr. Seidman or one of the other attorneys on our staff, call us at 732-246-7126. A lawyer is available for free consultation anytime 24/7.

New Jersey Prescription Forgery: N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1

In accordance with N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1, an individual may be charged with forgery if they do any of the following in furtherance of a fraud:

(1) Alter or change a writing of another without permission;

(2) Makes, completes, executes, authenticates, issues or transfers a writing which purports to be the authorized act of another, or to have been executed at a time or place other than was actually the case, or to be a copy of an original when no such original existed; or

(3) Utters any writing which he knows to be forged.

An individual who violates 2C:21-1 is guilty of a crime of either the third degree or fourth degree depending on the underlying circumstances. For purposes of this statute, “writing” includes printing of any kind, as well as any other method of recording, including money, credit cards, prescriptions and checks.

Grading of Prescription Fraud. A forgery involving a New Jersey Prescription Blank is a third degree crime. Common examples of prescription forgery include filling out a bank, modifying and/or altering the dosage or quantity on a blank, changing the medication or signing a blank as if you were the physician/doctor who prescribed the medication. If the prescription drug offense involves a forgery of something other than a blank, it is a fourth degree crime.

Penalties for Prescription Forgery. Alteration, counterfeiting, or any other form of prescription blank forgery results in a third degree crime. The prison term for third degree prescription forgery is three (3) to five (5) years. A fine of up to $15,000 also applies. Sentencing for fourth degree prescription forgery can result in in up to eighteen (18) months in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Woodbridge NJ Prescription Forgery Attorney

Woodbridge is one of the most populated municipalities in Middlesex County with a large number of pharmacies. This explains why our lawyers represent more clients arrested and charged with prescription forgery in this township than most communities in the region. Whether you are someone facing charges out of Woodbridge or a smaller town like Metuchen, South Brunswick, Monroe or Highland Park, sound representation is going to pivotal to averting serious penalties. A lawyer at The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall is fully capable of serving you in this capacity. To speak to an attorney on our staff immediately, call our Woodbridge Office at 732-634-0700.